Angered by an unprecedented economic crisis, thousands of protesters in Sri Lanka’s commercial capital Colombo have stormed the president’s official residence.
President Gotabaya Rajapaksa was said to have fled shortly before protesters overran the compound and stormed his nearby office on Saturday. Others said he was removed from the official residence on Friday for his safety ahead of the planned rally.
Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe summoned an emergency party leaders meeting to discuss the situation and come to a swift resolution.
He has requested the speaker to summon parliament, his office said in a statement.
A Facebook Livestream from inside the president’s house showed hundreds of protesters, packing into rooms and corridors, shouting slogan’s against Rajapaksa.
The island of 22 million people is struggling with its worst economic crisis since independence in 1948 amid a severe foreign exchange shortage that has limited essential imports of fuel, food, and medicine.
The country’s leaders are seeking a $3 billion bailout from the US-dominated International Monetary Fund and a restructuring of some foreign debt, but its desperate bid has gone unanswered.
The crisis has worsened in recent weeks as the cash-strapped country stopped receiving fuel shipments, forcing school closures and rationing of petrol and diesel for essential services.
SOURCE: AFP
